


Baby Steps

by dis_one



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Anime), IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Awkward Crush, Domestic, Gen, M/M, Romantic Fluff, it rlly be a trip to the library but romanticized
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:54:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25055758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dis_one/pseuds/dis_one
Summary: Mitsuki loses a bet. Tamaki is hauled to bed. And, Iori realizes a few things about himself... and Riku.
Relationships: Izumi Iori/Nanase Riku
Comments: 5
Kudos: 45





	Baby Steps

**Author's Note:**

> It was good practice and fun to write idolish7 characters being idiots. :’) Also, if you haven't already, I would recommend checking out the i7 light novels. They're great (especially Violet Thunder, that shit got me).

Iori was the type of person who kept his feelings to himself. As a self-described “perfect high-schooler,” he maintained a calm and composed persona even when certain events badly tempted his secret interests. Lying in his bed, he thought of the previous night.

Nagi and Mitsuki had had a series of card games with stakes attached. If Mitsuki won, he would have Nagi work in his family’s bakery for a month. His parents had noticed the blonde idol’s performance during their lives and figured that his elegant persona complemented their business’s aesthetic. Iori couldn’t disagree with their judgement. As long as Nagi didn’t open his mouth, he could attract customers just by standing in front of the shop.

So, Iori admired his brother’s decision to put his family’s interests before his own. However, despite his best efforts, he couldn’t help but gravitate towards Nagi’s idea… of having Mitsuki cosplay as Kokona. An anime convention was coming up that featured the voice actors for the series, and Nagi was quite literally dying to go. He had set a countdown on his phone, and each day, he scribbled an X on his Magical Kokona-themed calendar. In his words, what would make the experience even better was having a beautiful girl by his side. While Iori noticed that his argument wasn’t adding up, his curiosity led him to remain silent. He watched the games with such a quiet intensity that members like Yamato noticed and teased him for it.

“You act like you bet a million yen on this, Ichi.”

“With stakes like this, I have to take it seriously, Nikaido-san. Since it affects my family’s business, I would prefer to have nii-san win.”

Yamato laughed obligingly at Iori’s proper response. “Right,” he smirked.

The winner was decided just before the clock struck 2. Nagi had turned the last game of Old Maid around with his psychological tricks. Mitsuki stood no chance against his “stick the winning card out so that they take the Old Maid instead” plan. With such a defeat, Sogo reported the score as 3-2 and placed a sympathetic hand on Mitsuki’s shoulder.

“It will be alright, Mitsuki-san. We will be cheering you on,” he said, but his words only made the smaller idol shudder.

“Thank you, Sogo… but I’ll be fine.” Mitsuki’s smile wobbled as he reassured the other members. “At least I think so…”

“OH! You don’t have to worry, dear Mitsuki. I will be your princely escort for this convention. No harm will come your way as long as you stick by me,” Nagi replied, unknowingly making Mitsuki’s feigned expression of strength fall completely.

Iori watched the exchange with a mixture of mild impatience and interest. Yes, he did want to see his brother in the cosplay, but it was already past the time when they were all supposed to go to bed.

“Everything can be resumed tomorrow,” he spoke up. “It is the weekend after all.”

“That’s rich coming from you, Iori. Weren’t you the one watching this the most closely?” said Riku.

Iori threw a small glare at the red-haired boy. While Yamato was an older member that was known for his dry humor, Riku was the one that Iori usually looked after and chided. Having him throw a quip was too much in one night.

Sensing the atmosphere turning slightly dark, Sogo said, “Now, now… I think we could all do some good and go to sleep. Yamato-san, we have to practice those lines for our television appearance, right?”

“Ah, yeah,” answered the green-haired idol. “We still have that planned, huh?”

“Yes. And I’m sure the rest of you have your own responsibilities to take care of, so let’s call it a night.” Sogo glanced over at the member who had fallen asleep during their games. “Tamaki-kun, wake up. You should sleep in your room, not on the couch.”

The blue-haired idol groaned and rolled over in response to Sogo’s gentle touch. Sighing, the older Mezzo member turned to the rest of iDOLISH7. “Can you please help me?”

So, while the games ended before 1, it took the whole idol unit until 2 A.M. to unsuccessfully rouse Tamaki and eventually carry the idol to his messy room. By the time everybody could return to their own dorms, Iori had skipped his normal procedure of washing up, checking over his schedule, and finally setting the alarm for the next day. Sleep came quickly as he threw a duvet over himself and cradled the small Usamimi plush he kept skillfully hidden underneath the sheets.

For a while, Iori could shut his mind off, not caring about how he had to carry himself. However, as time stretched into the late hours of the morning, his dream of meeting the Usamimi animals in person changed. The vision turned dark until all he could hear were whispers. People were discussing Kokona, mall listings, and plays of some sort. There was a hurried shuffling of footsteps before a loud bang occurred somewhere far off. Perhaps, an accident of some sort? More whispers and a voice flatly saying, “I’m sorry~.” Iori’s forehead furrowed in confusion. Was Tamaki in his dream? At the thought, his mind started flitting between its understanding of dreams and reality. If it was Tamaki, then did he imagine it or was it actually something he heard? Iori opened his eyes slowly and immediately felt a pain on the sides of his temples. I will never do this again, he thought, adding the event right behind his vow to never drink.

Reluctantly, Iori changed out of his clothes and adjusted his bedhead before heading out to the shared bathroom. On the mirror, a small post-it note with neat handwriting had been left as a possible reminder to those who stayed behind. The message read: “Sogo, Yamato – practicing lines, Mitsuki, Nagi, Tamaki – went to ACOS to look for Kokona cosplay.” A small, misshapen Ousama Pudding had been messily drawn in the corner.

Iori let out a small sigh. So, he was too late to help his dear brother find a fitting cosplay outfit. The irritation that he could shut off in his mind from the previous night flared up again. His rational mind knew that denial wasn’t healthy, but more than that, a softer side of him didn’t want to think his interests were important. Usamimi shouldn’t matter to a boy of his age… although he knew in his heart that the series did…. And he shouldn’t care about Mitsuki’s cosplay… even though it literally pained him to know that he was missing out on the experience of seeing his brother look as cute—if not cuter than the plushies he was used to.

While Iori’s mind grappled with the conflict between his thoughts and the situation presented to him, his body instinctively worked out his usual morning routine. He washed his face with a sensible blue towel, brushed his teeth, and then had a quick shower to feel fully refreshed. The warm water felt like comforting pats on his head, and as he stepped out of the stall to dry himself, Iori’s rational persona slowly returned.

He would have some breakfast and then work on iDOLISH7’s possible programming in the future. Focusing on something concrete would be more productive than mentally running in circles around the same issue. Besides, Iori already had some leads that he could start from. He considered the list, thinking quite self-satisfactorily, Tsumugi will definitely praise me for this. The plan seemed perfect until he saw a familiar figure bustling around the kitchen. As a small scowl started to spread on Iori’s face, Riku turned around and beamed a smile in greeting. “Good morning, Iori! You’ve finally woken up. I was thinking about whether or not I should come and get you.”

“Well, you don’t need to think any further,” sighed Iori. He figured with the other boy around, his plans wouldn’t be anything like he imagined. “This will be the last time I’m going to wake up when the day is almost over.”

“It’s only eleven thirty though,” said RIku.

Iori arched an eyebrow. “My point still stands… but there’s no point in regretting what has already passed. Nanase-san, what are you doing?”

“Oh, well...” Riku looked down at what he was holding. “When I woke up before you, everybody had already left. We didn’t have any leftovers that would go well as breakfast, so I decided to make something for us.” While the red-haired idol spoke, he carefully set down a plate with an appetizing ensemble of eggs, small sausages, and toast.

Iori softened at Riku’s gesture. He could feel his cheeks getting warmer, unused to the other idol taking care of him in this way. To hide his embarrassment, Iori propped his chin in his hand and nonchalantly said, “I suppose it’s not so bad to be spoiled in this way.”

Riku laughed, feeling self-satisfied. He had returned to the kitchen counter to obtain two bowls of miso soup that were cooling off.

“…although I would expect this to happen more often with a proper relationship between a senpai and kohai,” continued Iori.

“…urgh…” The corners of Riku’s smile twitched. “Do you always have to nitpick so early in the morning, Iori?”

“For one thing, it’s almost noon. And for another, I’m merely stating the… strange… relationship we have.” Iori shifted his gaze away from Riku, suddenly aware of how his words sounded. He didn’t intend for his tone to be so sharp, but now he couldn’t take back what he said.

But despite Iori’s internal worrying, Riku didn’t seem affected. He looked at Iori with his curiously bright eyes. A thoughtful expression crossed his face. “Hm, it might be strange between us, but I think that it works out in its own way. Don’t you?”

Iori coughed. “…It’s not without its merits, I would admit.”

“Right? You don’t have to think so hard about it, Iori. Here,” Riku replied breezily, holding up a bowl of miso soup. “Let’s just peacefully eat breakfast like a normal senpai and kohai.”

And for once, the younger idol had no objections to Riku’s statement. He ate the meal in relative silence with the other boy. Compared to the usual chaos in a seven-person dormitory, the atmosphere during their breakfast was peaceful and slow. Occasionally, Riku hummed in satisfaction at what he created, and Iori in response smiled into his bowl. How cute, he thought to himself.

When the duo had finished most of their food, Riku set down his chopsticks and looked at Iori expectantly. “Hey Iori…”

“Yes? What is it, Nanase-san?” Iori placed his soup bowl down, focusing his attention on the older idol.

“Um… well, you know how everyone is out?”

“Yes, I am quite aware of that.” Iori’s forehead scrunched slightly, trying to discern the intentions behind Riku’s question. “What of it?”

“Well… it’s just us two.”

Iori squinted at Riku. “…yes. Because everyone else is not here…” A vague air of suspicion and to a lesser extent, excitement clouded his thoughts. What could Riku mean and want with the two of them together? If they were a boy and girl, the train of thought would inevitably lead to something scandalous, but Iori did not know how to navigate the situation as they were. He waited for Riku to respond, heart beating a few seconds too fast.

“Since it’s just the two of us, I wanted to know if you wanted to come with me somewhere.” A slight blush of embarrassment crept up Riku’s cheeks.

“Oh.”

“…Iori?” Riku looked at the other boy’s blank expression and said in a slightly panicked tone, “What do you mean by ‘oh’?”

“I mean to say… why me? Because no one else is here and I’m the only one left? Am I the only choice you have?”

“No, no, no! That’s not what I meant. Of course not!” spluttered Riku. “I’m just saying I finally have the chance to sit down with you and talk and maybe take you out… somewhere…” Now, the red-haired idol realized how his words came off. It’s true that he wanted this opportunity to talk to Iori alone, but he didn’t mean for it to be a confession. He wasn’t ready for that just yet.

When it came to communicating with someone like Iori, Riku felt like he was navigating a minefield. All it took was a poorly phrased sentence to start a bickering fight to erupt between them. The last thing Riku wanted was to have his feelings be misinterpreted by the person he cared about deeply. Yet, Iori’s unwavering stare seemed to confirm his fears. Riku shrank into himself, feeling his face redden. He knew how foolish he must have looked at that moment.

A long period of silence lapsed between the two members. Although Iori heard Riku’s explanation, he only registered the first part. As he mulled over what Riku said, he thought, _So that’s all he wanted._ A strange feeling of disappointment accompanied his thought, but he ignored its implications. Iori wasn’t a middle-school girl that waited with bated breath for her crush to suddenly see her worth. He already had his hands full trying to handle Riku while they were idols on the job. There was no logical reason that he should be dissatisfied with being asked to a friendly outing. So why was he? What was going on?

Suddenly, the atmosphere of a peaceful breakfast had turned to something that neither of the idols were completely comfortable with. A gap in what had been spoken and what was understood emerged, creating a rift that made the food cold and the air heavy.

It was finally Iori who broke the weird tension between them. With an even tone that belied his emotions, he asked, “Where is this ‘somewhere’ that you want to go to, Nanase-san?”

“Huh? Oh, well… if you have time, I wanted to visit the local library and see if they have the new novel series that came out. The Door with The Red Camellia.” Riku’s eyes took on a distant, dreamy look as he thought about getting his hands on these books. “A lot of online reviews have said the plot has lots of suspense and surprises, so I wanted to see if it lived up to the hype. But you don’t have to! If you’re busy…”

“…I don’t mind,” Iori said slowly. “The library hm. I suppose I can study for my upcoming tests or do some research. Do you want to go right now?”

Riku practically jumped at Iori’s offer. “Y-yeah! Let’s go.”

And with that, the two cleaned up their breakfast leftovers and got ready to head to the library, glad to have a chance to regain their composures away from each other. In his room, Iori looked in his closet and thought about what he would wear to appear inconspicuous. As an idol, weekends were one of the only times he could relax, but he still needed something to avoid being seen by overenthusiastic fans. After a few minutes of debating, Iori chose a plain collared shirt, layering it with a navy-blue vest and a cream-colored trench coat for the cold weather. At the door, he recalled a pair of black loafers that would pair well with his corduroy brown pants.

Satisfied, Iori stepped out and met Riku who was dressed in his own style. The older boy had decided to wear bright, but still unobtrusive items that gave him a cute, energetic look. Iori noted the heavy lining on his oversized denim jacket. It would probably keep him warm, so he didn’t need to worry about Riku getting an attack on the way to the library (although he still did to a small degree). Iori’s eyes wandered down, taking in more of what Riku was wearing. Underneath his jacket, the idol had on a grey hoodie with a small graphic of fluffy, rotund monsters.

“You like them? I saw it at a sale with Tamaki. I think they’re from a cartoon series or something,” Riku said, pulling his hoodie to look at it himself.

“Hm. It fits someone like you.”

“Thank y- Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Surely you can come up with a conclusion on your own, Nanase-san,” Iori said with a smile. He strolled out ahead of Riku, happy to have a bit of their bantering atmosphere return. Perhaps it wouldn’t be such a bad day after all. What had happened during breakfast (or lunch?) was a small moment of mischaracterization. Something that had occurred because of faulty or unique circumstances. The trip to the library would both clear their minds, Iori decided. Settling back into his perfect high-schooler persona, he walked with Riku to the library.

* * *

At the library, Iori felt like he had brought a puppy into the public space. Seeing the array of books the library offered, Riku almost disappeared out of sight to explore the place and devour every series he could get his hands on. Iori was taken aback by his enthusiasm, having never experienced the bookworm side of Riku before. However, as he followed Riku down each row of shelves lined with different paperbacks and hardcovers, he learned how to handle the new situation.

His strides quickly overcame Riku’s smaller steps, and he stepped in front of the older boy. “Nanase-san, let’s focus. The Door With The Red Camellia, remember?” he whispered in an exasperated tone.

At the name of the series, Riku nodded and said sheepishly, “Right. Sorry, let’s go find it!” His louder exclamation earned a few hard stares from the people who already had their noses in books. With their withering looks, Riku and Iori hurried to the upper floor where the library categorized mysteries.

Iori offered to search one of the many shelves while Riku looked at another. As the two both worked on finding the series, it took only a few minutes before they met in the middle of the rows and saw the first volume. Unaware of each other, Iori reached for the book and his hand brushed against Riku’s. A shiver ran through his body that he quickly suppressed. Suddenly, Iori was hyperaware of everything in his vision. He pulled his hand away from Riku's. One thought kept on running in his mind. _He was so close._

With the opportunity to look at his face, Iori reaffirmed everything that he had known before about this boy. He was angelic in his childishness. Still fascinated by the book, Riku had started to flip through the pages, as impatient as a kid on Christmas. Iori watched the corners of his lips stretch into a small, satisfied smile. The way his eyes were seriously scanning through the words on the pages made something tighten in Iori’s chest. He wanted to protect this side of Riku more than anything else.

But as Riku pulled away from his reading to look at Iori, the blue-haired boy knew he couldn’t say it. Not now. Maybe not ever. That just wasn’t him. His eyes quickly glanced away, focusing on a novel he had no interest in.

“Thanks, Iori. It was a lot faster having you help me find the book. What do you want to do now? You said something about some reviewing or…” Riku blinked owlishly at Iori and then started to laugh quietly. “…or maybe not.”

For a few seconds, Iori could not see the humor of the situation. He wasn’t dressed funny and he wasn’t acting particularly strange (at least, not in his perspective). But as his hands grasped at nothing, he understood. He had been so focused on avoiding the awkward atmosphere in the kitchen and getting dressed that he had forgotten to bring his study materials, a mistake that would have fit Riku or Tamaki’s character more than him.

 _What really is this day?_ Iori thought in exasperation. He couldn’t make heads or tails of it. But as Riku continued to laugh, Iori couldn’t help but feel a low chuckle rise from within him. To an onlooker, the pair of boys looked extremely strange hunched over, trying to unsuccessfully suppress their laughs.

It didn’t matter though. Everything that had happened from the previous night had derailed Iori’s plans. What was one more uncharacteristic event on top of it? For the first time in a long while, Iori eased up on his perfectionist tendency. He couldn’t always be cool or collected. Sometimes, he was just a boy having fun with someone that he might or might not have feelings for, and that was ok.

“So, do you want to look around… the library more or do you… want to head back?” said Riku in a strangely strangled voice. He tried to keep his voice down to a whisper, but the comical aspect of Iori’s cluelessness hadn’t left his system just yet. Riku still felt the urge to laugh every second he wasn’t breathing. 

Thoroughly amused, Iori replied, “I’m all right with either. But you look like you’re at your limit, Nanase-san.”

“Don’t underestimate me.” If there was one thing Riku hated the most, it was being dismissed. He straightened up, looking at Iori with a bright, focused gaze. His lips wobbled, threatening to spill another laugh if he wasn’t careful. “We can… do what you want.”

Iori considered the offer. His tests were still a few weeks away. His past self had budgeted extra time to the study plan in case there was something that required his attention in the future. Looking thoughtfully at Riku, he knew what the right choice was. “Well, if you insist, maybe I’ll show you something that I enjoy. There’s a museum near here that recently opened. How about we visit it, Nanase-san?”

Riku tilted his head. “I think I’ve heard of it too. Is it the museum that focuses on baking?”

“Yes.”

“And the one with all of the cute pie and cake mascots?”

Iori hesitated, but just like his brother Mitsuki, he put on a brave face. “…yes, that one.”

“Sure, I would love to go. Maybe, we can get some souvenirs for the others,” beamed Riku. “Or maybe… is it that you want one for yourself?” His eyes held a mischievous gleam, yet his words were oddly gentle.

Iori shrugged. “Well, if I can’t study, I might as well learn something new, especially since it has to do with the family business.” He thought about it a little more. “…and there’s nothing wrong with getting something from the experience along the way.”

“In that case, how about I buy it for you? Since you came and helped me find my book,” said Riku. A light blush dusted his cheeks, but this time, he held Iori’s gaze. Something in their dynamics had shifted during this trip to the library. Riku couldn’t consciously put a finger on it, but it made him braver. He hoped that his feelings could be sensed through this act of giving.

The younger idol who heard his words offered a tender smile back. “I wouldn’t mind being spoiled just a bit.”

As they walked out of the library to their destination, Iori felt his façade slipping, but with Nanase-san, he didn’t mind. In this secret moment, Iori gladly let it go.

**Author's Note:**

> When I was writing this, I thought to myself, So… when are you going to be each other’s Mr. Affection? And I think that pretty much sums up the trajectory of what I wanted to go for.


End file.
